PUTRAJAYA: The government will table a supplementary budget when the need arises.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said this when asked if the government would consider reviewing the budget for Rural Development Ministry.

“We will have a supplementary budget after we have implemented the existing budget,” he said at the launch of Poh Kong’s Gold Note of Hope programme.

Several economists reported recently on the need to review the 2019 budget tabled on Nov 2.

One of them was Professor Dr Hoo Ke Ping who had recommended that the government should review the 2019 budget to help the rural communities such as fishermen, rubber tappers and palm oil smallholders.

It was reported that the 2019 budget aimed to restore fiscal health in three years while caring for the people.

In PH maiden budget, it sought to restore Malaysia’s status as an “Asian Tiger” with a clean and transparent government that cares for the rakyat.

Themed “A Resurgent Malaysia, A Dynamic Economy, A Prosperous Society“, the RM314.5 billion budget for next year had three areas of focus with 12 key strategies.

To raise its revenue, the government will leverage its assets and review taxation policies, including reducing its stake in non-strategic companies, expanding the Sales and Service Tax to cover online services and raising licence fees and taxes in the gaming sector.